Question by Monoge C: Help with U Haul renovation?
My Fiance and I are looking into hitting the road with a mobile coffee shop. We have found that one of the cheapest and most effective ways to go is to convert an old U Haul van into our shop/living quarters. Unfortunately this requires quite a bit of renovation we are not used to. My first large question is what kind of generator I should use. Here is a list of appliances we will have to have powered by this generator:

Kenmore elite Stainless Steel Oven –
Bake Element 2500 Watts
Broiler Element 4000 Watts
Convection Element 2500 Watts

Kenmore 24″ Dishwasher –
Standard 120 Watts

LG Combination Washer/Dryer –
1200 Watts

Jura Espresso Machine/Cappuccino Machine/steamer/grinder –
1200 Watts

2 Edge star mini fridges/freezers
115 Watts apiece

A small blender –
I am not sure of the wattage.

Microwave –
800-1300 Watts

Florescent lighting –
We want to have this primarily set to a solar panel, but you always need to have a backup plan.

Those are a few of the items we are looking into so some suggestions on how to power them would be great! (Propane suggestions preferred)

On top of those essentials there are a few we have not made out mind up on just yet. We still need a water pump and reservoir system. Our floor plan has the bathroom on the far end of the trailer, closest to the cab while we have the kitchen and the sink on the other side of the trailer, near the unloading door. The model we are looking at his 24 feet long, so there is a bit of a gap between those two. The bathroom we want with have one small stand up shower, toilet, and sink while we will have one more half bath with just a toilet and sink. Should we go with two fresh water reservoirs that lead down to one dump tank or should we just make pipes for one fresh water reservoir throughout the place? What brands and types would you suggest?

Another thing is insulation. We want it to be cheap and eco-friendly (This thing is going to suck enough gas as is). We will probably only need about 2-3 inches to properly insulate this small space but it never hurts to get some opinions on that.

Another thing we need to look at is a cooling system for the back of the truck. Should we have mountable AC systems or should we pipe them in from the cab? Or is there something else you guys can think of? We are set on heat – all we will need to do is open up the oven door after dinner is done.

And any info you may have about a nice small water heater would be great as well. We are looking at most of this stuff in RV supply stores and such, but I want to hear what real people have to say about these products instead of the marketing mongols. Thank you all very much!!

Best answer:

Answer by Jon
OK, a few things here, I have no experience with RVs, ETC but experience with kitchen and restaurant design, as well as experience loading and unloading trucks:

1. All food prep (includes coffee shops) businesses need to be licensed by local health departments. This will drive parts of your equipment needs as well. This also becomes particularly tricky if you are planning on serving multiple jurisdictions.

2. Insulation is extremely important. Trucks get very hot in summer and cold in winter; with the equipment the cold may not be too bad. You’ll want to use a high-quality rigid insulation for maximum effect.

3. Piggybacking on #3, You will not be able to “pipe” the A/C from the cab to the rear. You’ll need much larger units to cool that space and the heat it generates, plus then the units can be operated off the generator rather than the engine.

It sounds like a cool and exciting project though. Would be interesting to start a blog detailing your process, to drive “viral” marketing and generate some buzz. People are always interested in new and unique ideas.

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